1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to printed circuit boards (PCB), and more particularly to a PCB having permanent solder mask.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,774 discloses a method for forming a solder mask on the surface of a PCB, which introduces a new idea that the material of the solder mask can be an epoxy resin selected from those used in the PCB field since it will be generally compatible with the glass fiber reinforced epoxy substrates. However, the method does not teach what a proper solder mask an outstanding PCB must have. For example, the outer surface of the solder mask must smooth enough, if not, there will need a lot of underfills between the outer surface and the chip attached thereon. In addition, if the roughness of the outer surface of the solder mask is unappropriate, the solder mask and the encapsulation of the IC chip package cannot be firmly combined each other.
Moreover, the conductive pattern disposed on the surface of the prior art PCB often includes a plurality of exposed portions uncovered by the solder mask for electrically connecting with other electrical devices. The adjacent wiring of the exposed portions will be shorted frequently due to the ion migration therebetween.
Furthermore, the vias of the prior art PCB, which run through the PCB and are used to electrically connect the conductive patterns disposed respectively on the top and bottom surfaces of the PCB, are not filled with the solder mask, so during the baking process of the PCB, the air contained in the vias will induce internal stress between the solder mask and the PCB. Such internal stress often results in the bend of the PCB.